- ASK CHINA 
“在世界性的对抗中，个人的存在显得微不足道。”
这一点，在中美贸易战影响下的留学教育领域，感受尤为深刻。
然而，上周五，特朗普脱口而出的一席话，似乎让人觉得，赴美留学的“寒冬”即将结束。
在面对记者针对中国留学生赴美签证限制方面的提问时，特朗普一改往常地作了如下回答——
“中国留学生不会被区别对待。”
“我们不会为难中国留学生。我们将会像对待其他人一样对待中国留学生。”
“有大量的人才从中国来到这里，他们在美国大学中占据了很多位置，我们希望这样的局面能继续保持。”
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., Oct. 11, 2019. /VCG Photo
这些正面而积极的回应，无疑是让人欣喜的。
然而，“阴晴不定”的特朗普，这一次能说话算话吗？
#1.“留学寒冬”A block from the U.S.?
People wait in line for a visa interview in front of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. /VCG Photo
去年6月，美国正式开始实施对中国留学生的签证限制。
根据新政策，若中国研究生在机器人、航空或高科技制造业等领域学习，他们的签证期限将被限制为一年。
此前，特朗普发布的相关文件也表明——
美国可能对“STEM”专业人才，即学习科学（Science）、技术（Technology）、工程（Engineering）和数学（Mathematics）专业的外国学生签证设限。
These students, under the new policy, were limited to one-year visas, instead of being given visas with the maximum possible length which was regarded as usual practice.
The shift in policy was foreshadowed in Trump's national security strategy issued in December, 2017, where it specifically mentioned possible restrictions on visas for foreign students studying in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, namely the STEM fields.
FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, U.S., Dec. 20, 2018. /AP Photo
今年4月，现任FBI局长克里斯托弗·雷（Christopher Wray）更是公开谴责赴美留学的中国学生和学者。
在政策与言论的双压之下，中国学生和学者遭遇了前所未有的“留学寒冬”——
签证审查周期延长、有效期缩短、拒签率上升……
今年6月，教育部就赴美留学的风险发出预警，敦促学生和学者“加强风险评估”。
Following an evident rise in visa refusals reported by Chinese students, China's Ministry of Education issued a warning this June, reminding students and scholars to strengthen their risk assessments before deciding to study in the U.S.
然而，事实真如美方所说的那样吗？
#2.
“威胁”还是“贡献”？
Threats? Not really
A Chinese student consults about studying in the U.S. at the 2018 China Education Expo. /VCG Photo
而种种数据显示，中国学生去美国读书，给美国带去的绝非所谓的“威胁”。
Graduation ceremony at Yale University in 2014. /Xinhua Photo
带去的是什么呢？
首先，如特朗普在回答记者提问时说的——
中国为美国带去了许多最优秀、最聪明的人才，他们为美国的创新作出了巨大贡献。
据哈佛商学院教授威廉·克尔（William R. Kerr）《全球人才的礼物》一书，如今，全美超过10%的发明是由华裔科学家创造的。
美国麦克罗波洛智库（MacroPolo）的研究结果则显示，美国的大部分人工智能科学家都是来自中国的移民。
According to a new research by Harvard professor William R. Kerr, more than 10 percent of U.S. inventions today are made by scientists of ethnic Chinese origin, while most of the artificial intelligence scientists in the U.S. are immigrants that came from China, according to a report from the think tank MacroPolo.
除顶尖的人才外，中国留学生还为美国带去巨额经济效益。
Apart from acting as a marvellous stimulus for American innovation, the steady flow of China's brightest brains has also made terrific contributions to the U.S. economy. 

Open Doors 2018 is a comprehensive report on international education trends released by the Institute of International Education. /CGTN Screenshot
美国国际教育协会（Institute of International Education）2018年公布的留学生现状报告——《门户开放报告》显示，中国连续9年成为美国国际学生的最大生源国。
2017-2018学年中，在美国高校注册学习的中国留学生超360,000人，在全美国际学生中占比高达33.2%。
仅2018年一年，中国留学生就为美国带去约150亿美元的经济收入。
Chinese students contributed 15 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S. economy in 2018. /AP Photo
China has been America's biggest source of international students for nine consecutive years, according to Open Doors 2018, the comprehensive report on international education trends released by the Institute of International Education.
The report shows that during the 2017-2018 academic year, a total of 363,300 registered Chinese students studied in U.S. universities, accounting for 33.2 percent of all the international students. They brought in more than 15 billion U.S. dollars to the country in 2018 alone.
#3.
“双赢”
A clear "win-win"
A group of Chinese graduates throw their academic caps into the air after the 2016 commencement ceremony at Columbia University in New York, U.S. /Xinhua Photo
有着近10年从业经验的资深留学中介张先生告诉我们，事实上——
自2017年中美贸易战开始之后，中国出国留学人数没有下降，反而呈增长态势。
据中国教育部最新数据，从1978年到2018年底，中国出国留学人员累计达到近5,860,000人。
而在已完成学业的人中，近85%选择在学业结束后回到中国就职。
这些从大洋彼岸回家的“海归”们，后来陆续成为各行各业的中坚力量。

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen remain attractive to overseas returnees. /CGTN Photo
各国间的学术交流与合作，从来都是一种双赢。
Education exchanges between two countries have been viewed largely as a clear "win-win" for both sides.  
According to latest statistics revealed by China's Ministry of Education, over 5.85 million Chinese students studied overseas between 1978 to 2018. 
And out of the 4.32 million who have already completed their studies, nearly 85 percent chose to pursue their careers in China.
今年2月，加州大学伯克利分校发表声明，对包括中国留学生在内的国际学生和学者表示支持，认为“基于国籍而产生的怀疑会导致可怕的不公正”。
 

The University of California, Berkeley's statement in support of international students. /CGTN Screenshot
此后，陆续有多所美国高校先后发声，坚定地表明学校将继续进行国际间正当的科学交流——

Stanford University 
Yale University
University of Michigan
 
Realizing the undeniable benefits that come alongside free and independent international exchanges in the education sector, a group of leading U.S. universities have since expressed concern over growing scrutiny of Chinese student visa applications, reaffirming their steadfast commitment to international students and scholars including those from China.
"As California's own dark history teaches us, an automatic suspicion of people based on their national origin can lead to terrible injustices," said University of California, Berkeley in a statement in February, 2019, one of the first universities that has spoken out on the issue. 
CGTN screenshot
今年8月，美国全国高等院校协会、高等教育研究协会等22家机构更是联合发表声明，呼吁美国政府谨慎行事——
In August, the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), along with 21 other U.S. organizations signed a joint statement against racial profiling, in which they said "Federal agencies need to clarify and specify their concerns, and ensure that their efforts do not trample on individual rights nor on the principle of free and open academic inquiry and exchange." 
Lawrence Bacow speaks as he is introduced as Harvard University's 29th president during a news conference in Massachusetts, U.S., February 11, 2018. /VCG Photo
前不久，哈佛大学校长劳伦斯·巴科（Lawrence Bacow）写了一封信，呼吁政府加快外国学生和研究人员的签证和移民程序。
全文言辞恳切，读来令人动容。
他在信中说——
“也许在当前不确定的环境面前，没有一个群体比怀揣梦想的年轻人更容易受到伤害。”
"Perhaps no group is more vulnerable and exposed to the current environment of uncertainty than Dreamers," wrote Lawrence Bacow, head of Harvard University, in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling for an acceleration of visa application process for international students.
A student from Beijing teaches a student from Medgar Evers College Preparatory School of New York how to write Chinese calligraphy during a culture exchange event in New York, U.S., February 2, 2018. /Xinhua Photo
哈佛校长的话，与外交部发言人陆慷在今年5月一场例行记者会上说的话不谋而合——
 “保持人员往来与人文交往是促进中美各领域交流与合作的基础，符合两国人民的共同愿望，不应当人为地把它政治化或施加干扰。”
学术交流自始至终都不应被政治化或无端限制。
这一次，我们希望“中国留学生不会被区别对待”是真的。